An in-house lawyer can be a business’s best friend, but only if they’re willing to be critical, writes Dr Jim Baxter

In-house solicitors are at the heart of a business’s risk management strategy, providing critical advice on legal, commercial and reputational risks. Unlike external legal advisors, they are embedded within the business, allowing them to offer timely, commercially aware legal advice from a position of understanding of the business and its wider objectives.

This position also has its major challenges. The very qualities that make in-house solicitors effective – deep business knowledge and close working relationships with key stakeholders – can also put their independence at risk. When legal advisors become too embedded, they risk losing their objectivity. No in-house solicitor is a purely neutral observer within the organisation, but too much pressure to support business objectives can lead them to lose sight of ethical concerns, which in turn can put the business at risk.

To be most effective,

© City A.M.